Sunderland have escaped a points deduction after being fined for fielding an
ineligible player in four Barclays Premier League games, after the Football
Association showed leniency in the wake of the club shedding light on a
stunning clerical oversight.

Ji Dong Won, the 22-year-old South Korea forward, featured in the matches at
the start of the season before it emerged that although he was registered
with the Premier League, he did not have the necessary international
clearance.

Ji, who failed to hold down a regular first-team place after he joined
Sunderland from Chunnam Dragons in 2011, was sent out on